• When choosing a cloud provider, start with the services that you are looking to fulfill and the reasons you are looking to outsource in the first place. Do some research on the services you need so you can buy them on your terms.
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• Make sure that the cloud platform you choose does not require you to configure your applications so that they only work on that platform.
• Look for clouds that provide access to world-class IT infrastructure that you can purchase in small, inexpensive, bite-sized pieces, rather than having to settle for second-class infrastructure because it makes economic sense.
According to industry experts, the “cloud” hanging around the enterprise isn’t going away anytime soon. Many small to midsized enterprises are turning to the cloud for at least a portion of their computing needs, but some do not know where to start when choosing the best cloud provider for their business needs. It’s not uncommon for an enterprise to purchase a product based on a company’s reputation, but because cloud computing is a new solution, cloud providers do not have long track records; thus, there is no way to tell if a provider will deliver. We talked with industry experts to come up with tips and advice that data center and IT managers can use to pick a cloud provider.
Cloud Reasons Josh Roebuck, sales and marketing associate at Joyent (www.joyent.com), says SMEs are turning to cloud providers for their computing needs for many reasons. Roebuck notes, “It’s better, cheaper, and faster. First of all, there are no long-term contracts. And the cloud allows you to focus on your core business, not running a data center, and also allows you to test ideas and bring ideas to market more easily, quickly, and with less sunk costs.” Roebuck says the cloud also offers a more energy-efficient approach to computing and matters to your “green bottom line.”
Rob Lovell, CEO of ThinkGrid (www.thinkgrid.co.uk), says he can describe in a few words why SMEs are turning to the cloud: “Cost (it is much cheaper per user
than managing in-house), reliability (these cloud infrastructures are huge and can provide resilience and business continuity off the bat), and ease (just click a button and it’s deployed).”
Cloud Shapes Lovell says when choosing a cloud provider, start with the services that you are looking to fulfill and the reasons you are looking to outsource in the first place. Lovell comments, “Cloud computing is really just a word for hosted services. There are a lot of providers giving away storage of CPU processing power, but only a few are translating this into actual services. As an SME, you should do some research on the services you need so you can buy them on your terms.”
Asking fundamental questions can help, says Roebuck. "First," he says, "it's important to be clear on why you are choosing cloud hosting and what problem you expect it to solve or what added benefit you expect it to provide.” Roebuck says it’s also important to be clear on what you mean and understand by ‘the cloud’ or cloud computing. For example, do you need SaaS (software as a service), PaaS (platform as a service), or IaaS (infrastructure as a service)?
Barry Lynn, chairman and CEO of 3Tera (www.3tera.com), says if your services have a lock-in, don’t waste your time. Lynn elaborates, “Some cloud services can hold you hostage. You get your applications on their cloud and it can be very difficult to get them off if you are not happy with the service. Make sure that the cloud platform you choose does not require you to configure your applications so that they only work on that platform. And make sure your provider has multiple physical locations so that if you have to, you can move your application.”
Lynn says most importantly, though, look for clouds that provide access to world-class IT infrastructure that you can purchase in small, inexpensive, bite-sized pieces, rather than having to settle for second-class infrastructure because it makes economic sense. He says cloud computing is not simply running your applications on someone else’s hardware. “It is the ability to encapsulate applications so that they can run anywhere (on any idle, available hardware), and you only consume and pay for the resources you are using, while always having enough resources available when you need them.”
Cloud Delivery The key to making sure your cloud provider will deliver, says Lynn, is in the SLA (service-level agreement). He explains, “Ask them if they guarantee performance and availability. Ask them what their limitations are with regard to operating systems, middleware, databases, infrastructure, etc. If they have many limitations, go somewhere else.” Lynn says it’s important to ask how easy it is to port an existing application into the cloud: “If you have to make changes to your existing code to run it in the cloud, the moment you decide to move out, your application will need to be changed again.”
Roebuck says it’s important to be clear on what kind of expertise and resources you have in-house and what you expect the cloud provider to offer. He asks, “Are you looking for managed, semimanaged, or unmanaged hosting? You also need to ask questions like: Does the provider offer software to help manage the environment? Does the provider specialize in one particular programming language, or do they have broader experience and expertise? Are you looking for long-term application hosting or running batch jobs that may need to scale up for a matter of hours?”
Lovell says the key for a great cloud delivery is the reliability and support around the services you are purchasing. He elaborates, “It’s important to pick a provider that can provide high service levels (guaranteed), 24/7 support, and has experience in the areas you are looking at. Case studies or reference customers are a must. I think the key thing is to read through the jargon when choosing services. Understand what you need and why you are doing it and get the provider to explain how they are going to meet these goals.”
Here To Stay?
We asked Barry Lynn, chairman and CEO of 3Tera (www.3tera.com), and Rob Lovell, CEO of ThinkGrid (www.thinkgrid.co.uk), if the cloud is here to stay. Lynn comments, “Yes, cloud computing is real and it’s here to stay. Cloud computing, defined as abstracting applications from their physical resources and enabling dynamic scalability up and down, vertically and horizontally, is the future of IT and will, over time, replace traditional IT and data centers as we know them today. If you are talking to other vendors, they may have different answers, but after three years on the market with a real product, and with over 300 happy customers, mostly SMEs, data center operators, and hosting providers, we have all the proof points for the future of cloud computing as the next generation of IT and data center operations. Of course it will take time until it is vastly adopted.”
Lovell concludes, “It has already been around for a good decade or more, just under different guises. So yes, I think outsourced ‘off-premise’ services will continue to grow as they have done. Whether cloud computing as a term sticks, I think it probably will, given the amount of momentum it already has.”
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BY Chris A. MacKinnon
Source：PROCESSOR
Copyright © by Sandhills Publishing Company 2009. All rights reserved.
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